Method and apparatus for mounting artificial teeth



1941- E. J. VAILLANCOURT 9,780

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING ARTIFICIAL TEETH Filed Jan. 24, 1940 Inventor A iiorneys Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR. MOUNTING ARTIFICIAL TEETH The present invention relates to new and useful improved methods of mounting teeth in sections for use as a time saver in setting up teeth to be tried in the mouth, and may be used for either a full upper and lower, single upper or lower, or partial upper or lower cases.

An important object of the present invention is to provide means whereby artificial teeth may be set up in sections in perfect occlusion in much 10 less time than is now required.

One of the advantages of the present invention is to produce. perfect articulation by assembling sections of the teeth and securing the same in position in wax.

15 In the present practice it is customary for the manufacturer to furnish the artificial teeth mounted upon a fiat card whereby it is necessary to remove the same one by one to set them in place and under my improved method the teeth 20 will be assembled in sections by the manufacturer who will furnish them in sections already mounted and ready to be sealed into place.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed explanation 25 when viewed together with the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a matrix show- 30 ing the recesses provided for receiving the teeth.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the several sets of teeth mounted in position.

Figure 3 represents a front elevational view of an articulator with the plaster models of the upper and lower mouth in position and each provided with the teeth which have been mounted in three sections therein, and

Figure 4 is a group front elevational view showing the three sections of teeth secured in wax and 40 removed from the matrix and ready for use as they would be received from the manufacturer to form the complete upper and lower part.

In practicing the present improved method the manufacturer would be provided with a matrix 45 of each mold of teeth which he makes. The size of matrix of course, depends upon the size of the tooth. Instead of taking these teeth and placing them upon a card, after wiring together the eight posteriors, four being together on one side 60 and the other four together on the other side, the teeth would be assembled by placing a full set of teeth into the matrix. A matrix of the type shown by the numeral 5 is employed for this purpose and the teeth positioned therein are shown at 6. When the teeth are placed in position the same are secured in sections by means of wax I, so that the same may be removed in three sec- 5 tions to include the two side or posterior sections 8 and 9 and the center or anterior section III. The teeth are then ready for distribution in the sections or groups as indicated in Figure 4 of the drawing. 10

After the teeth have been received from the factory the dentist may mount or set up the teeth in sections by employing the usual articulator shown generally at ll, having the wax base l2 secured therein and in which the teeth are set.

In the practice now in use the laboratory technician or dentist selects a set of teeth carded as by the old method upon the three flat cards and he must remove these teeth one-by-one from the cards, also removing the wire upon which the eight posteriors are strung and tied. Then he must take these twenty-eight. teeth again and set them in place upon the model tediously, oneby-one, taking great care that they occlude properly.

By my improved method the dental technician or dentist would receive these teeth mounted in sections and after selecting the proper mold to fit the case he immediately places the three sections of teeth in the upper and lower molds and after sealing them in place on the base wax they are ready to be tried in the mouth in perfect occlusion. In other words, the try-in is ready in six operations instead of twenty-eight.

It is believed the method employed will be 85 readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

A method of mounting teeth consisting of placmg a predetermined number of teeth in a matrix duplicating a perfect articulation, securing groups of the teeth directly to each other in wax for removal of the groups separately in sections, re- 7 moving the connected groups of teeth from the matrix as units and mounting the groups individually in the articulator to complete the tryin of the complete sets of upper and lower teeth in perfect articulation with no change to the bite or occlusion.

EUGENE J. VAmLaNCOUR'I. 

